Coach pleased with Special Olympians’ dedication
By Ken Ryan Contributor January 23, 2012 8:32PM
Hinsdale Central's Maya Jawich drives towards the basket against Lyons Township's Rafael Lameter. | Steve Johnston~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:06AM
Jackie Gay enjoys so many aspects of being the coach of the Lyons Township Special Olympics coed basketball teams.
“The kids are all dedicated and enthusiastic about basketball,” Gay said. “Every game is the big game to them. My favorite part of coaching is seeing them come to every game wanting to play and being excited about it.”
Gay, who is a transition teacher at LT, is in her first season as the program’s head coach after previously being an assistant coach with the Gateway Special Recreation Association.
The Lions have a varsity team and two junior varsity squads.
“The season has been successful, especially given the fact that they had a new coach,” Gay said. “They were thrown into the season with me. Having someone new coming in is a big change for them, but they did very well. Everyone improved a lot during the season. Each team has come a long way from where they started. I work with these kids all day and it’s nice to finally be able to coach them. It’s nice to interact with a lot of the kids in special ed.”
LT competed at the district tournament Sunday at Unity Junior High in Cicero.
The White and Gold teams each placed second, while the Blue team took third.
“All three teams played very well,” Gay said. “They impressed me beyond belief.”
LT’s varsity Blue team consists of Christina Anderson, Moris Beck, Michael Deveno, Matt Foisy, Cody Jacobson, Dan Jundanin, Matt Mardiks, Will Medina, Tyler Reineke, Gavin Scott, Michael Wesley and Carly White.
Members of the Gold team are Delaney Borzym, Sarah Cotts, John Cozzi, Tyler Florzsack, Colin Francis, Mike Johnson, Bryanna LaConte, Maggie Long, Alex Messmore, Tori Miller, Claire Slattery, Sam Smetko and Tom Somone.
The White team consists of Trevor Bouma, Tony Burkes, Aubrey Fasano, Grace Furjanic, Ellen Gana, Rafael Lameter, Brenden Loftus, Dan Lulic, Senay Salievski, James Sikes and Greg Wilson.
“It’s one of those sports where no matter how the team does or what the players are able to do, it’s just a fun season,” Gay said. “It’s great to see everyone try their hardest. Special Olympics is just a great organization that makes everything fun.
“I get to see their dedication to the sport every game and at every practice. They give 110 percent effort all the time. I really enjoy seeing the varsity team helping out the other teams. Everyone encourages everyone else and they are always cheering on the other teams.”
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